The dragons shall dance
by ol-11jrw
Summary: The Dance of the dragons was the most devastating conflict ever fought on Westeros and the fall of the dragons and the beginning of the end of House Targaryen. But when Rhaenyra Targaryens firstborn son gets involved in his family's conflict can he prevent the fall of his family, for when you play the Game of thrones you win or you die.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Rhaenyra Targaryen screamed in pain, ignoring the urge to tell Grand Maester Orwyle to go fuck himself when he told her yet again to push the babe that was currently stretching her cunt. _'What the fuck does he think I'm doing,'_ She thought to herself as another contraction went through her as she continued pushing with all her might.

Finally the fruits of her labour payed off and Rhaenyra let out a sigh of relief as the babe finally left her aching body and sound of crying filled the room. Rhaenyra just laid their in silence, trying to get her strength back. "Congratulations princess." Orwyle spoke after he had finished cleaning the babe and wrapping him in a blanket. "A healthy baby boy." He announced handing her the boy.

The baby was bald, too young to have any hair yet but his eyes were wide open, revealing bright violet eyes that almost. Rhaenyra didn't know how long she kept staring at her child in almost awe but it certainly must have been a long time. Considering her husband's _preferences_ it was amazing that she had actually been able to conceive a child, luckily those Maesters had a little potion that could stimulate a man and allow them to have sex. Granted it was mostly meant for perverted old men who were unable to get it up but it had worked for her husband.

Though Rhaenyra didn't expect that she would have any more children from Laenor Velaryon, the conception had been an unpleasant experience for the two of them, certainly not how most young girls dreamed about their wedding night. Hell her husband wasn't even here as she was giving birth, having gone on a long _hunting_ trip with his squire and she wasn't expecting him to return to the Capital for at least another two, possibly three days, not that she cared.

Rhaenyra began the process of thinking up names for her son. He couldn't just have any ordinary name, he was her heir after all and therefore the future King of the Seven Kingdoms, he needed a proper name. "So what should I call you young one?" Rhaenyra asked the babe as she rocked him back and forth slightly. "Aenys, no." She decided, she would not name her son after a weak king. "Aegon maybe." It would certainly remind that Hightower bitch who the _true_ heir to the Iron Throne was, but she discarded that name as well.

Rhaenyra continued listing and then discarding names, considering both Viserys and Daemon after both her father and uncle, but she didn't fancy either those names. She briefly considered both Daeron and Jaehaerys but neither of those names seemed to suite her son either.

"Princess, the king and queen are here." Orwyle informed her and Rhaenyra resisted the urge to scowl about the fact that the Hightower bitch was also present. _'No doubt checking to see if my son lives,'_ She couldn't help but think vindictively.

"Hello Rhaenyra, how are you?" Viserys asked his daughter with concern as he entered the room, his wife trailing behind him reluctantly. He knew the dangers to woman in childbirth, after all he'd lost his first wife to the birthing bed.

"I'm fine father." Rhaenyra lied, hiding the fact that she was completely exhausted. "Meet your first grandson father." Rhaenyra said as she handed her son to her father who had a small smile on his face as he held his grandson, a contrast to the scowl on Alicent Hightower's face at the fact that Rhaenyra had apparently born a healthy son. It was hard to believe that the two of them had actually genuinely liked one another when the woman had first become her stepmother.

"Beautiful." Viserys said as he held his grandson. "Does he have a name?"

"I was thinking about Aeron. Aeron Velaryon." She named him.

"No." Her father stated firmly, causing her to look at him surprised. "He is your heir and will therefore one day sit on the Iron Throne, he needs the Targaryen name. Prince Aeron Targaryen."

In the corner of the room Queen Alicent Hightower could be seen gritting her teeth.

* * *

Aeron Targaryen the firstborn, and as some would later whisper, the only son of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her husband Laenor Velaryon was an exceptionally intelligent child. By his eighth month he was able to say his first word, mother to Rhaenyra, and by his second name day he had stopped using nappies and had been successfully weaned off the wet nurses teat. By his fourth name day he was capable of speaking the common tongue fluently and was just as capable in reading and writing.

All these factors spoke positive factors about the boy who would one day rule the Seven Kingdoms. At the age of six he was presented with an emerald dragon egg before the court by his grandfather, who answered that "She's perfect." How Aeron knew that the dragon inside the egg was a female has been a mystery for the court since no one was aware of the genders of dragons while they are still in the eggs, especially as the young prince was proven right and the dragon hatched was a female who Aeron named Solthys

Not many had expected Solthys to survive. When born the hatchling was quite possibly one of the smallest dragon that had been recorded by the Targaryens since they had settled on Dragonstone, earning the boy much mockery from his uncle Aegon, but Aeron personally cared and raised his dragon on his own and refused to chain her up in the Dragonpit.

Within a decade Solthys would grow at an exceptional rate, most likely because as his with his great uncle Daemon, Aeron would refuse to allow his dragon to be locked up in the Dragonpit and by 125 AC Solthys would be as large as his uncle Aegon's dragon Sunfyre despite the dragon being more then five years older then that of the snow scaled dragon.

Three years after Aeron was born he became an older brother when his mother Rhaenyra gave birth to her second son Prince Jacaerys Velaryon the heir of Driftmark. And again in 115 AC she gave birth to her third son Lucerys and her fourth son Joffrey in 117 AC. One would say that Laenor and Rhaenyra were truly blessed by the Seven for having four children, if it weren't for the fact that with the exception of Aeron none of their children took after their parents, with all three possessing brown eyes and hair and pug noses, a complete contrast to their parents and older brother, causing many to whisper that their real father was Ser Harwin Strong, Princess Rhaenyra's sworn shield.

Of course very few people had the guts to call any of them bastards in front of Aeron Targaryen who was known to beet anyone who dared insult his brother's, causing much strife between him and his young uncles Aegon and Aemond who, along with their mother, were the main sources of the rumours concerning his brothers parentage.

But while Aegon and Aeron merely disliked each other, Aemond and Aeron completely loathed each other. No one knows when the animosity developed but the two of them truly started hating each other at Aeron's father's funeral when Aeron found Aemond brutally beating all three of his brothers, and when he saw a knife in his uncle's hand he drew his own knife and slashed at his uncle's face, taking out his right eye.

Alicent Hightower had demanded that Aeron lose an eye, while Rhaenyra demanded Aemond questioned sharply for calling her sons Strong. Aeron escaped with no punishment, in fact many said that he was actually rewarded because his great uncle, and stepfather Daemon Targaryen later took the boy on as his squire, while King Viserys decreed that any man who dared call his grandsons bastards would lose their tongue.

In the aftermath Prince Aemond would say that losing an eye was a small price for gaining Vhagar while Prince Aeron would say that Aemond was lucky he still had one eye.

* * *

"Left" Daemon Targaryen the younger brother of King Viserys and the husband to Princess Rhaenyra said to his squire as he swung a practice sword to the left. "Right, left, right, right, left. And now you are dead." Daemon stated as he held the practice sword to Aeron's throat while the boy glared at him angrily.

"But you said left and went right." The boy objected glaring at him while he couldn't help but chuckle.

"And now you are dead." He reminded him.

"Only because you lied." Aeron snapped at him.

"My tongue lied but my eyes held the truth. The eyes are the key to victory in a fight boy. Remember that." Daemon told him as Aeron nodded as he picked up the practice sword all the while looking into his eyes with determination, causing Daemon to smile.

Daemon had not been happy when his brother had told him he was to take Aeron as his squire, but it had taken him a total of one minute to realise the purpose of it. It was a punishment for the boy for cutting out his uncle's eye, and himself for wedding the boy's mother. After all Aeron now had one of the most brutal and demanding taskmasters in Westeros overseeing his training, and Daemon was now forced to look after the brat. But to his surprise Daemon actually liked the boy, he was determined, never giving up and he wanted to be great, wanting to be remembered. Truthfully the boy actually reminded Daemon of himself at that age.

The fact that the boy adored Caraxes and that his dragon actually seemed to like the boy in return, and unless Daemon was mistaken had been the one to sire Solthys' egg given the way his dragon always treated the younger one, had certainly helped. Even among their families dragons Caraxes was dangerous. In fact with Balerion dead and Vhagar herself reaching an incredibly old age, his dragon was probably the most dangerous in their families possession. As a result even several Targaryens and Velaryons, including his brother who had been the last rider of Belarion the Dread, were wary of Caraxes and steered clear of him. Aeron however wasn't afraid of Caraxes, in fact the boy was nothing but fascinated by his dragon, constantly asking for permission to ride him, Solthys while indeed old enough for Aeron to ride, had yet reached the age where she could carry her rider for long periods of time.

So Aeron's awe of Caraxes had certainly helped warm Daemon up to him. Hell one of the reasons he had loathed his first wife Rhea Rhoyce so much was because of the way she had viewed Caraxes, thinking him as nothing more then a wild beast and treating him as such whenever the Bronze Bitch ever had the balls to be anywhere near Caraxes. Targaryens and their dragons were bonded in ways that was simply impossible for outsiders to even understand. They weren't pets, they were their closest companions and friends and completely irreplaceable. A reason why most Targaryens, such as his brother never tried bonding to a second dragon after their first had died.

After near two hours of training the boy he asked the boy a question he already knew the answer to. If he wanted to ride Caraxes, and the large smile on the boy's face was his answer.

Reaching out with his bond to Caraxes he called the dragon to him. He could feel Caraxes annoyance at being disturbed from his slumber but sending a mental picture of Aeron and his eagerness and Caraxes finally roused himself. When his dragon flew into the open field on Dragonstone he saw Aeron resisting the urge to jump up and down.

Daemon smiled at the sight of his dragon as he landed. A large red beast with an almost lean frame, with it's limbs and neck being more slender then some of the other male dragons in their families possession. A beast more suited for speed and stealth then physical strength.

Picking the boy up he placed him on the saddle on Caraxes back and after making sure he was securely chained to it Daemon sat behind him and then secured his held to the saddle. It would be a humiliating way to die if he, a dragonrider was to die flying a dragon. Not to mention that he doubted Rhaenyra would ever take him into her bed again if her son happened to die while with him. Once they were both secure Caraxes pushed himself off the ground and launched himself into the air, causing Aeron to let out a scream of pure joy at the sensation of flying.

As Caraxes flew around the Island of Dragonstone Daemon's mind couldn't help but wander towards the boy in front of him, more particularly his parentage. It was obvious that he wasn't Harwin Strong's bastard, but that of course didn't make Laenor Velaryon's son. Unless his spies were wrong then the only time that Rhaenyra and Laenor had actually fucked each other was on their wedding night, and Aeron had been born approximately eight months after that wedding. Most had chalked Aeron up to being born ahead of schedule, Daemon himself however had his own theory.

Daemon had slept with Rhaenyra nearly six weeks before her wedding, and as far as he knew Rhaenyra had no lovers between then and her wedding. Either a late born son by Daemon Targaryen or an early born one by Laenor Velaryon.

He suspected the former and the thought pleased him. Daemon had always coveted his brother's crown but he had long acknowledged that he would only ever be Rhaenyra's consort, and his own attempts at making a crown for himself had not paid off thanks to the Kingdom of the Three Whores and those blasted Dornishmen. But that didn't change the fact that Daemon wanted his blood to rule Westeros. If anything happened to Aeron then his daughters Baela and Rhaena were betrothed Rhaenyra's second and third sons Jacaerys and

After nearly half an hour of flying Daemon directed Caraxes to the ground.

* * *

"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave." King Viserys Targaryen the first of his name declared as he held the blade of his Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre on the shoulder of his kneeling grandson Aeron who was struggling to keep his face stoic. He was only fourteen years old, the youngest member of his family to ever be knighted and Aeron was pleased.

And unlike most young nobles Aeron wasn't being knighted because of who his ancestors were, or because like many young nobles he begged his parents for it, but because of his actions. It certainly filled him with pride. Despite the fact that he loathed his uncles Aeron actually got along very well with his aunt Helaena and a week the two of them had been riding through the Kingswood without their dragons when they had been attacked by bandits.

Six bandits with only one Kingsguard protector Aeron had been forced to put his training from his great uncle Daemon to the test. Five years of training under Daemon Targaryen had paid off and despite it being his first taste of combat he had managed to kill two of the bandits while injuring the third, while Ser Rickard Thorne dealt with the rest. When they returned to the capital his grandfather announced a feast in which he would be knighted.

"In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just." King Viserys continued with the ceremony. "In the name of the Mother I charge you to defend the young and innocent. In the name of the Maid I charge you to protect all women. Now arise Ser Aeron Targaryen." Viserys declared as he removed the blade from his shoulder and he did so while the great hall exploded in cheers, with one half much more subdued then the others

Many of the 'Greens' were clapping out of mere politeness and stopped after a few moments. His uncles Aegon and Aemond weren't even clapping, but that didn't surprise him, he certainly wouldn't clap for them.

"However there is more." Viserys declared after the clapping had died down but before Aeron could take his seat. He resisted the urge to look at his grandfather in confusion, It wouldn't do for the court to realise that he was ignorant of what the king was planning. "My time of needing a weapon is over, for I no longer need this blade." The king said referring to Blackfyre which was still in his hand, even if it was now in its scabbard. "Blackfyre is meant for either the king or his heir, and while my daughter is my heir she does not require a blade, therefore it is only fitting that this sword should go to her own heir."

The entire hall was shocked silent, Aeron included. For a moment he couldn't speak, he could scarcely even think before he gathered enough of his sense to kneel before his grandfather. "You honour me your grace." Aeron said, not quite able to think of anything else to say.

"Arise Aeron and take your blade." Doing as he was bid he strapped Blackfyre from his belt, surprised by just how light the sword was. It was still heavy, but it wasn't as heavy as ordinary bastard sword the same size as Blackfyre.

As Aeron took his seat next to his mother the hall once again was filled with cheers, although only the 'Blacks' were actually cheering, the Hightowers and their 'Greens' were openly glaring at him. Aeron couldn't help but chuckle at the way that his uncles Aegon and Aemond were glaring at him.

 _'That's right you piece of shit,'_ He thought to his wasteful and gluttonous uncle Aegon. _'My mother is heir to the Iron Throne, and then me. You will never sit it,'_

"Congratulations Aeron." His mother Rhaenyra said to him with a large smile, feeling the same joy he felt at the anger the Hightowers were experiencing., as well as pride at her son's achievement and being given Blackfyre.

"Thank you mother." He said as he kissed her cheek. The years had not been kind to his mother, six pregnancies within fifteen years had left her bloated, unable to successfully lose the weight she had gained from her pregnancies. She was still a beautiful woman despite the weight that she had gained, but his mother was no longer called 'The Realm's delight' by the court.

"Indeed, it looks like Hightower is about to have a stroke." Daemon commented idly as he stared at the Hightower harpy sitting across the other side of the hall. "Maybe she'll do us all a favour and croak."

Aeron snorted at the dark humour of his stepfather while Rhaenyra glared at her husband. Not because of what he had said but because of where he had said it and in front of whom. "Not in front of the children Daemon." She admonished her husband who only snorted into his wine. He had said far worse in public and to the bitch herself.

"Why not mother, she hates us and we hate her." Jacaerys questioned.

"That doesn't mean you should say such things out loud." Rhaenyra hated Alicent Hightower more then any of them, but she was at least mindful of what she said about the Hightowers, one had to keep up appearances after all.

"Can we see your blade Aeron." Lucerys asked feeling giddy, all but bouncing on his seat in excitement.

"Sure brat." Aeron said fondly as he withdrew Blackfyre from its scabbard and placed it on the table while his younger brothers looked at the blade in awe.

"It's brilliant." His eight year old brother Joffrey exclaimed before reaching for the blade to the alarm of everyone at the table. Joffrey wasn't reaching for the hand but the Valyrian steel capable of cutting through flesh like a fish through water.

As fast as a snake Daemon grasped Joffrey's wrist before the boy grabbed the blade. "Do not touch." He said releasing his wrist.

After near half an hour of sitting with his family Aeron stood up. "Where are you going?" Rhaenyra questioned her son.

"To piss off some Greens." He answered, causing her to snort as he walked over to where his aunt and uncle were sitting.

"What do you want?" Aegon the elder all but snarled at his nephew, trying to seem intimidating but all he appeared to Aeron was jealous. _'Oh yes, he's practically green with envy,'_ Aeron thought to himself, struggling to hide his amusement.

Ignoring his uncle, which Aeron knew would only enrage him further he looked directly at his aunt. "Would you like a dance princess?" He asked holding out his hand, causing his uncle to swell in anger.

"I would love to my prince." Helena answered as she took her nephews hand, ignoring the way her husband-brother glared at her in betrayal. Helena cared not what Aegon thought or felt, she had stopped caring when on their wedding night after the bedding he had gone to his paramour, proclaiming that she was the worst screw he had ever had.

Hell the bastard spent more time with his paramour then he did with their children. Helena knew that as far as Targaryen princess's went she was far from the most beautiful woman in her family, being more chubbier then what was considered beautiful, but having her husband openly shunning her bed near every night in exchange for the Bracken whore that Aegon had taken for his paramour genuinely hurt her.

Dancing around around the court with her nephew Helaena couldn't help but lament the fact that she hadn't married her nephew instead of her brother. Her father had actually suggested the idea and her sister Rhaenyra had even approved of it. But her mother certainly hadn't and the next thing Helaena knew she was being prepared a wedding dress in order to marry her brother.

"So how are my little cousins?" Aeron asked with genuine curiosity and care. Despite the tensions that existed in their family he had nothing but love for Jaehaerys and Jaehaera who were nothing but sweet and ordinary children.

"Getting bigger and smarter every day." Helaena answered with a large smile. She didn't love her brother, but she loved the children that she had from him. Helaena opened her mouth to say more but before she could she was interrupted.

"Bet you loved that didn't you Aeron. Precious Aeron Targaryen given Blackfyre." The cruel voice of her brother Aemond sent a shiver down her spine. Aemond honestly frightened her at times, in fact he actually terrified her. Often brutalising men in the training yard for the sheer joy of it and Helaena couldn't even count the number of female servants who went into his chambers and were never seen again.

Maegor's one eye, or simply Maegor's eye some called her brother and Helaena honestly couldn't fault them.

"Aemond." Aeron didn't speak like a nephew addressing his uncle, he spoke like someone meeting their mortal enemy, or how a Blackwood would speak to a Bracken.

Aemond's gaze switched from her nephew to her and Helaena resisted the urge to shiver at her brother's gaze, and by the way that he smirked she guessed that she wasn't able too and she glanced away. Looking into either Aemond's sinister purple or eye, or the sapphire that replaced his lost one was unnerving. "Sweet sister, consorting with the enemy I see."

"I didn't realise that dancing with one's family was the same as consorting with enemy's dear uncle." Aeron interjected.

"I guess not, and we are family, and such a large family at that. After all you have three Strong brothers don't you nephew?" _'Oh by the Seven,'_ Helaena prayed with concern at the way that Aeron's face darkened. Only a fool, or someone looking for a fight dared call the brothers of Aeron Targaryen bastards or Strongs.

"Careful Aemond." Aeron warned darkly, trying the reign in the anger coursing through him. "You think yourself powerful but you are but a little man far too slow on the draw." Aeron spoke with his hand drifting the knife on his belt, Aemond's hand doing the same. Neither of them had swords on them, Aemond hadn't brought a sword to the feast while Aeron had left Blackfyre with his mother, yet that didn't mean that they weren't capable of killing each other with knives.

"That's enough." Helaena spoke firmly putting herself in between the two of them before they killed each other, something that was very possible, Aegon wasn't the only one angry about Aeron being given Blackfyre but Aemond unlike their brother was willing to let their anger control them. "Aemond leave." Helaena spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Aemond stared at her for a full minute before scoffing. "Fine I was getting bored anyway." He said wandering off.

"And you," Helaena said turning to her nephew.

"He started that." Aeron protested.

"Yet you are the one who is determined to turn every encounter with my brother into a fight. My father gave you Blackfyre, and all but declared you the future king of Westeros, act like it." She snapped storming off, leaving Aeron to return to his mother and siblings.

* * *

 _Harry was terrified. The monster who had murdered his parents had been brought back to life by the man who had not only betrayed his parents but had murdered Cedric right before his eyes._

 _He should have let Remus and Sirius kill the weasel last year. Once a traitor always a traitor but Harry had been able to let them kill him. And now because of his weakness Cedric was dead. He hadn't been close to Cedric, but the older boy had always been kind to him and at least ensured that none of his friends gave him any hassle about his entry in this stupid tournament._

 _"Crucio." The monster called Voldemort that had killed his parents and was now trying to kill cast the torture spell at a speed that was impossible for him to dodge in time._

 _Harry was used to pain. Constant beating from his uncle and his cousin ensured that Harry possessed an exceptional pain tolerance for someone of his age, but this was beyond anything that he had ever experienced. The pain was so intense, so all consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... White hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly then he'd ever screamed in his life._

 _"Atta boy Harry," Voldemort mockingly complimented him while he lay panting on the floor. Harry had been so consumed by the pain that he hadn't even realised that he had collapsed to the floor. "Especially your filthy Mudblood mother."_

 _"Expelliarmus." Harry bellowed, pointing his wand at Voldemort despite the protests in his limbs at the movement. A flash of red light shot at Voldemort but the man simply reflected the spell back at him, knocking the wind from him._

 _Harry lay panting on the floor, trying to get his breath back as Voldemort stalked towards. "I'm going to kill you Harry Potter. I'm going to destroy you." Voldemort said crouching next to him. "After tonight no one will ever again question my power. After tonight if they speak of you, they'll speak only of how you truly, begged for death. And I being a merciful lord obliged."_

 _The smirk on Voldemort's face terrified him. Never before had Harry been so scared for his life, not even in the Chamber of Secrets had he been so scared for his life. "Get up." Voldemort yelled and with an impressive display of windless magic forced Harry to his feat._

 _The second Harry was on his feet he did the only thing that he could think of; he ran. Hardly something that a Gryffindor would do but in that moment he really didn't care, barely dodging a killing curse as he made it to the relative safety behind the tomb of Voldemort's father._

 _"Don't you dare turn your back on my Harry Potter, I want you to look at me as I kill you. I want to see the light leave your eyes." Voldemort bellowed._

 _Harry knew in that moment that he wasn't going to escape. But he refused to die on his knees begging the monster that had killed his parents for mercy. Swallowing nervously Harry mustered his courage and determination and left the cover of the tomb._

 _"Have it your way then. Expelliarmus."_

 _"Avada Kedavra."_

 _The two spells collided, creating an explosion of light._

* * *

Aeron gasped loudly as he awoke from the dream, immediately grabbing a cup of water from his bedside table, downing it at once, quenching his thirst. _'Another dream,'_ he thought to himself.

Aeron sighed as he laid back on his bed. He had been having these dreams for the past week, ever since he had killed those bandits in the kingswood. He had no idea what the connection between those dreams and killing those bandits but that was the only explanation that he could think of.

His family was known to possess dreamers in the past, his ancestor Daenys the Dreamer who had saved their family from the Doom of Valyria being the prime example. Was he a dreamer? That seemed to be the logical explanation, but what he was dreaming made absolutely no sense at all.

On his first dream he had seen Hogwarts, an honestly ridiculous name but that didn't change the fact that the castle was unlike any he had ever seen. As a prince of the Seven Kingdoms Aeron had visited castles all over the realm, Dragonstone, the Eyrie, Storm's End and Casterly Rock were but a few castles of many, yet Hogwarts matched them all.

And then their was the magic. Spells and enchantments like something out of a fairytale, or from Valyria at its prime. Did he have magic? That was a question that had been plaguing Aeron since he had first started having these dreams. He was a Targaryen, dragon rider to the emerald beast Solthys. If any family should have magic then it should be them but his mother had taught him all of their family's dragon lore, including how to bond with their dragons and how to draw strength from them.

Then a memory came to him. He remembered nearly two years ago Daemon had been conducting a search of Dragonstone and he remembered the man telling his mother that the Councillor should not have abandoned their dragon lore.

It was a closely kept a secret in their family, in fact not even the Hightower bitch and her brood were aware of it but much of the lore their family had scavenged from Valyria had been destroyed in order to bring the Faith into the fold.

Which led to the question of whether or not his family did possess magic and had simply destroyed it in order to appease the Faith of the Seven. "Only one way to find out." Aeron muttered to himself as he reached out to Solthys through the bond that connected them.

He could feel his bonded, feel her frustration and anger at being forced to be locked up in the Dragonpit instead being able to roam free in the sky. _"I need you my Solthys, I need your strength,"_ He told her as he prepared to do what he was about to, feeling his dragon's energy filling him, and removing any traces of sleep that he had once felt, making him wide awake.

"Lumos."

 **For the purpose of this story Rhaenyra was born in 94 AC, so she and Laenor married in 111 AC and Aenor was born in the same year, making him the older brother of Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey, and one year younger then Aemond. Why I'm doing this story, well most crossovers take place in canon, a few years before it or during Robert's rebellion. The Dance of Dragons whoever is a gold mine of potential stories.**

 **Also the bond between the Targaryens and their dragons is inspired by the way riders bond to their dragons in the Inheritance Cycle books.**

 **Aegon the 2nd born 107 AC**

 **Helaena born 109 AC**

 **Aemond born 110 AC**

 **Aeron born 111 AC**

 **Daeron born 114 AC**

 **Jacaerys born 114 AC**

 **Lucerys born 115 AC**

 **Joffrey born 117 AC**

 **Aegon the 3rd born 120 AC**

 **Viserys the 2nd born 122 AC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

Energy was filling him. Solthys was adding her strength to his own and Aeron felt energised, he felt like he could run the entire outskirts of King's Landing and not break a sweat. He was ready. Raising his hand Aeron couldn't help the excitement that filled.

"Lumos." Aeron spoke. Only to be filled with disappointment when nothing happened. He could also feel Solthys' confusion about what was happening or more accurately the lack of anything happening.

"Lumos." He spoke again. "Lumos. Lumos." Aeron kept on repeating but producing no results from his attempts.

Aeron couldn't help the disappointment that filled him, causing Solthys to reach out through their bond in an attempt as comfort. He'd really thought that it would work, especially with Solthys providing him with her own strength, after all dragons were magic and should therefore assist him in being able to conjure magic.

Pushing himself out of bed Aeron walked towards the window, glancing at the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. He had one of the better rooms of the Red Keep with a view of the entire capital. He could see the Dragonpit in the distance where not only Solthys, but Syrax, Vhagar, Sunfyre, Tessarion, and Caraxes were but a few of many dragons currently chained within the pit.

Truthfully Aeron disagreed greatly with the Dragonpit, he saw it as a symbol of weak and foolish kings. Aenys Targaryen had made plans for the Dragonbit because the Faith was complaining about the dragons and the weak fool that he was started making plans for the construction of a place that would ensure that all the dragons would stay in one place, and therefore in less position to combat the Faith Militant. And Maegor the paranoid brute that he was later put those plans into action and started the construction of the Dragonpit in order to keep all dragons and their riders close to him.

Not to mention dragons were not mindless beasts that roamed the lands burning farmlands and devouring livestock and families. They were intelligent creatures, more so then humans some maesters debated, and they _knew_ not to cause senseless damage. Or at least most of them knew not to. Cannibal and to a lesser extent Sheepsteealer were less intelligent and indeed wilder and far more beast like then their brethren. They deserved to be locked up in the Dragonpit, especially Cannibal who was to dangerous to honestly let roam on Dragonstone, the rest of the dragons however didn't.

Aeron didn't know how long he kept staring at the capital but he did so, watching the rising sun over the capital and his nose twitching as the smell from the capital wafted into his room. The rate that the capital had grown in the last century was honestly exceptional, but the smell of it left much to be desired

Aeron walked over to his desk where Blackfyre was placed. Valyrian steel fascinated him, watching the dark ripples along the blade. Aeron carefully trailed his finger along the flat of the blade, following along the dark ripples.

Stronger then any steel and capable of piercing armour like it was silk, there was no weapon more desired then a Valyrian steel blade, and his family had more in their possession then any other family in Westeros. Two Valyrian steel swords; Blackfyre and Dark Sister, three Valyrian steel daggers, one in his mother's possession, another in Helaena's while the last was located in the vaults of the Red Keep, and the Valyrian steel crown of Aegon the Conqueror.

In fact the average Valyrian steel sword was considered to cost approximately half as million gold dragons, or at least that was what Jason Lannister had offered his uncle Daemon for Dark Sister several years back.

Aeron found it very amusing that for all their near limitless wealth the Lannisters were unable to buy a Valyrian steel sword from anyone, no matter the price that they offered, or who they offered it to. It was indeed proof that you can't buy everything with gold, even if you are sitting on a mountain of it.

Picking up Blackfyre Aeron headed for the training grounds. He needed to get used to fighting with Blackfyre. Aeron was used to fighting with a bastard sword but he wasn't used to fighting with a Valyrian steel sword and he needed the practice.

Aeron reached the training grounds where it was near empty because of how early it was. Drawing Balckfyre from its scabbard he headed towards a training dummy and started taking practise swings at it. He needed to get used wielding Blackfyre before he could try using it against someone.

Aeron spent near a good hour simply doing that, swinging Blackfyre at the dummy before a slow clapping sound drew his attention.

"Pretty sure you mastered those moves years ago." Daemon Targaryen spoke as he walked towards him.

"Not with Balckfyre." Aeron answered his stepfather as he turned to face him, quickly noticing the way that Dark Sister was in Daemon's hand as he walked towards him.

"True not with Balckfyre." Then Daemon swung Dark Sister as fast as he could at him, which Aeron was able to block, expecting such a move by Daemon who had made many similar surprise attacks during his training.

The clanging created from two Valyrian steel swords was very unique. It didn't even make an actual clang but more like a ringing sound. "Strange isn't it."

Aeron didn't reply he simply slashed at his uncle who blocked the attack with minimal effort. After Daemon blocked four blows with minimal ease and showed no sign of going on the offence Aeron pulled back and waited for Daemon to make a move.

When it came to swordplay Daemon was a snake, letting his opponent attack and then striking when and where they least expected it. Aeron knew from experience that if he stayed on the offensive then it would be a matter of time before Daemon bested him, so he resolved to wait for Daemon to attack first.

With a speed one wouldn't expect from a man well past his fortieth name day Daemon was remarkably fast in his strikes. Aeron managed to successfully block three strikes before taking a hit, a gash on his left shoulder.

"Come on Aeron, don't tell me you about to be taken down by an old man." Daemon mocked as Aeron backed away from him.

Aeron observed his uncle for a few moments before he acted on his next move. Swinging Blackfyre he knocked Dark Sister out of the way and then punched Daemon in the face.

Daemon moved out of the way before Aeron's fist connected, but that allowed him to bring Blackfyre against Daemon's leg, cutting a gash into it. "You're improving." Daemon complimented, not even wincing at the large gash on his leg or how blood poured from it, he had suffered far worse wounds.

Then in the blink of an eye Daemon charged at him, swinging Dark Sister with a speed and precision that left Aeron struggling to keep up and within minutes Blackfyre was knocked out of his hand and Dark Sister was held to his throat. "But you still have much to learn." Daemon smirked.

Aeron picked up Blackfyre when Daemon stepped away from him. "How long till we return to Dragonstone?" He asked. He doubted that they'd stay in the capital much longer, the tension between the Blacks and the Greens was worse then ever and staying in the capital was probably not the smartest move.

"Another day or two. Will you be taking a ship or will you be going on Solthys?"

"Hmm, I'll be going on Solthys, much faster then travelling by ship." He answered.

"Well she is always been built for speed." Daemon added.

"That she is." Aeron spoke fondly. "I'm going to the Dragonpit." He told his uncle who nodded at him.

The journey from the Red Keep to the Dragonpit was in no way a short one. It was a long ride from Aegon's hill to Rhaenys hill. When Visenya Targaryen had built the capital, it was with the intention of it becoming the largest city in all of Westeros, and it was. Construction started during King Aegon's reign, and completed during the final years of King Jaehaerys' reign King's Landing had indeed become the largest city in all of Westeros.

But in no way the most populated. Large portions of the capital were uninhabited, with the exception of Flee Bottom which was completely filled with the poor of the capital, the large manses of the capital that was intended for wealthy merchants and knights was simply too expensive for the majority of the population of the capital. In fact despite being merely a fraction of the overall size of the capital, nearly a third of it's population was inhabited in the area of Flee Bottom.

Aeron continued the ride through the capital till he reached the Dragonpit. Despite his reservations about the Dragonpit Aeron couldn't deny that it was impressive. A massive dome like structure atop Rhaenys Hill. Larger then even the Red Keep, the Dragonpit was a picture of intimidation and fear with massive bronze doors so large that even Vhagar the largest of their dragons was capable of simply walking through it.

There weren't any gold cloaks near the Dragonpit, and only a few dozen Targaryen guards whose main purpose was simply to bring the dragons food. After all what kind of fool would dare attack the place where dragons slept. Even chained you'd need an army in the thousands to take it.

Aeron walked through the massive bronze doors, heading straight to where Solthys was chained. Solthys was cleaning her scales, a large tongue licking over the membranes of her wing. If there was such a thing as a vain dragon it was Solthys. Nearly every day she spent hours simply cleaning her scales and talons.

"Hello girl." He said to Solthys who was in the middle of licking the claws at the end of her arm-wing limb. Solthys raised her head, large golden eyes staring intently at him before she huffed and went back to cleaning herself.

Aeron couldn't help but chuckle at Solthys' actions. _'Yep I have the most vain dragon in my family's possession,'_ he thought to himself as he stated at Solthys fondly before he headed into the cage where she was locked in.

Aeron knew that some members of his family thought that he shouldn't get so close to his dragon, but he knew that Solthys would never harm him, especially when she was in such a calm state.

Aeron sat against Solthys' belly as she continued licking claws, not at all bothered by the presence of her rider.

While he sat against his dragon he saw a small pebble on the floor Aeron got an idea. "Swish and flick." He muttered to himself.

"Wingardium leviosa." He spoke firmly swishing his hand, willing the stone to move, and to his shock it did. Wobbling as it did so the pebble rose three feet in the air, before falling to the ground, and Aeron let out a gasp of exhaustion, but with a large triumphant smile on his face.

Magic was real, and he had it.

 **\- Line break-**

Aeron stood in his chambers on Dragonstone, his family had returned to their fortress merely a week beforehand but he was feeling restless. He felt almost suffocated for a lack of better word. It almost seemed like he was unable to rest on Dragonstone.

Seven days since he had returned to Dragonstone, and thirteen he had discovered that he possessed magic. Aeron had been having more dreams and with it more knowledge of magic. He had taken to practicing at every opportunity but with limited success. Some spells he could do, while others left him gasping for breath and needing to draw upon Solthys through their bond to make sure that he didn't collapse from exhaustion, and for some spells nothing at all happened. It was frustrating to say the least.

Aeron needed answers, answers that he knew he wouldn't get on Dragonstone. Hell he had no clue where, or even if he could get the answers that he seeked.

"So how long before you leave?" A voice called out to him, catching him by surprise. Turning he saw his mother Rhaenyra standing in the doorway to his chambers on Dragonstone.

"Pardon mother?" Aeron asked with a mask of confusion on her face, causing her to role her eyes.

"How long before you leave?" Rhaenyra repeated with a slowness, as if speaking to a young child. "I know your feeling restless, and I know that you are planning on leaving, I just want to know when you will be and how long you plan to be."

"I don't know mother. I don't know how long I'll be gone, or even where I plan on going." Aeron answered honestly.

"Well I hope you enjoy." Rhaenyra spoke causing her son to look at her in surprise. "What?" She asked.

"You're letting me go?" Aeron couldn't help but answer a little dumbly. He had thought that his mother would put up the biggest argument against his plan to leave Dragonstone not to encourage him.

Rhaenyra rolled her eyes at her son's words. "You're as stubborn as an ox Aeron. If I tried to stop you from leaving then you _will_ find some other way to leave." And her husband would be of no help whatsoever, Daemon would find the whole thing amusing and would be more likely to help Aeron leave then help her to keep him on Dragonstone. It would save her the headache and frustration to simply let him leave, however much she wished he would stay on Dragonstone.

"So where are planning on visiting?" Rhaenyra asked curiously. As a girl she had dreamed about travelling the world only such a thing never happened.

"Well I was planning on starting off in Pentos, then heading towards Volantis. After that, well I'll just see where I end." He wasn't lying, he was going to those two cities, but not in that order and he knew exactly where he would be going. Though he doubted his mother would let him leave if he told her that he was planning on going to the Doom of Valyria.

 **End of chapter 1, please review.**

 **Sorry for the delay but I really struggled with this chapter, I just couldn't think of what to put in it, it was so frustrating, and I know it's short but I just didn't have the inspiration to make it longer, but I promise the next chapter will be much longer.**

 **Also I'm planning three arcs for this story, the first arc will be Aeron travelling Essos and beyond, the second arc will be the dance of dragons and the events leading up to it, and the third arc will be the aftermath.**

 **As for pairings I'm undecided but I am leaning towards Baela Targaryen because I'm a huge fan of the story the Dance is not over by Antony444. If you haven't read it I do recommend it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

There was much debate about the founding of Pentos. Some claimed that it was initially founded by the Valyrian Freehold, or more specifically by merchants, seafarers and traders from the Freehold who used their funds to establish a trading outpost. Other debates included that it was actually founded by the Andals and later conquered by the Freehold. In fact there was even a theory that the Valyrians annexing Pentos into their Freehold, and resulting conflicts with the Andals was what forced them to migrate to Westeros. Considering no one knew exactly how long ago Andals migrated to Westeros, with some claiming it to be 2,000 years ago and others claiming it to be as long as 6,000 years ago, it was very possible that this theory was the truth.

Aeron didn't know which theory the truth was, but he was interested all the same. Aeron wasn't much of a researcher, but he had always been fascinated by the Freehold, even more so now that he knew about his magic. Unfortunately regardless of Pentos' founding, it was not the closest daughter with Mother Valyria and as such it's information on the Freehold was limited, and it's knowledge on dragonlore was so hilariously outdated and false that he had to resist the urge to laugh at some of the 'facts' about dragons that the Magisters recommended to him about how he should raise Solthys. Many generally believed the Valyrians, and now his family used magical whips on their dragons.

Using a whip on a dragon was a sure-fire way of getting yourself burned alive, hell Aeron knew if he attempted to use such a thing on Solthys, treating her like a common animal, then he was more likely to get ripped to shreds, regardless of the bond between the two of them. Although Aeron made no attempt to correct the Magisters views, he had enough experience with pompous nobles in Westeros to know that attempting to change their views, and pointing out faults was not going to endear himself to any of them and the magisters had been nothing but courteous to him since he arrived in Pentos, and with the increasing number of problems with the Triarchy and Braavos' dislike for his family due to their status as the last dragonlords of Valyria, he had no desire to cause issues with one of the few Free Cities that was actually on good relations with the Iron Throne.

Aeron put down the book of Pentoshi history and walked to the balcony of the manse he was staying in, watching Solthys in the clearing within the lands. He didn't plan on staying in Pentos for much longer, his uncle had warned him about how the magisters would try to manipulate him into a war on their behalf, after all they had attempted to do the same to Daemon. Unfortunately, his uncle had a reputation as a warrior and not someone to be manipulated and trifled with, Aeron did not have that reputation, and already the Prince of Pentos had made many subtle hints about growing Braavosi influence, Triarchy expansion and the Dothraki threat, and how Pentos always greatly rewarded those who aided it.

He had no desire to get involved in Pentos' conflicts, nor use his bonded Solthys as a mere tool for the magisters' ambitions. Westeros had its game of thrones, well Essos had its game of cities, and what all the cities wanted was control over the rest. Volantis had attempted such using armies and conquest but failed, and now the Three Daughters were attempting the same but through trade and pooling their combined resources, surpassing any single Free City in terms of wealth and power. Pentos wished to upset the power of the Triarchy and wanted to use him to do it.

One of the guards of the manse entered his chambers, disturbing him from his thoughts. "I apoligise for disturbing you my prince, but Prince Dorak is here to speak to you." The guard informed him, causing him to sigh slightly.

"Tell him I'll meet with him in a few moments." He ordered the guard. Giving one last glance at Solthys who was lazily eating the carcass of a cow, he headed off to the entrance of the manse where Prince Dorak was awaiting him. He knew the man wasn't here for a simply meeting, Dorak wouldn't make to journey to his manse for a simple visit, no the man wanted something.

The Pentoshi Prince wasn't very impressive, and like most of the magisters within the city he was obese with multiple chins, wearing many glamourous necklaces and rings, as well as absolutely stinking of perfume. "Prince Aeron." Dorak spoke, bowing as he did so.

"Prince Dorak." He replied with a small fake smile. "Can I offer you a glass of wine?" He asked, gesturing to one of the servants.

"No thank you my prince." The Pentoshi answered, surprising Aeron slightly. Dorak was well known for his love of wine, clearly the man wished to keep a clear head. "I was wondering if I could give you tour of the city, while you have been here for a few weeks I do not believe you have had an official tour."

"I would be honoured." Aeron replied, hiding his suspicions about the prince's ambitions. If he hadn't thought the prince wanted something before, he certainly did now. With the number of international problems going on in Essos, as well as dealing with cutthroat magisters who would slice his throat on account of failure, giving a tour to a foreign guest, granted a wealthy and powerful one, but still a foreigner was beneath someone like Dorak.

 **Line Break**

Aeron had expected a tour of the city's wealthiest provinces, the port and many trading stores within the city, perhaps even going to the prince's personal manse. He had not expected to be patrolling the walls of the city, which were armed with siege weapons, visiting the barracks for both Pentos' city watch and its army, even if it was a small one by Westerosi standards, and currently approaching the training grounds.

It had allowed him to form a good few suspicions about what was going on. One, the city was clearly preparing the for attack, his training by his uncle Daemon had taught him as much, and that conclusion was obvious considering the number of siege weapons, not that they'll do a great deal of good in a battle. The ballista's and scorpions were of good quality; however, the catapults and trebuchets were severely dated and in need of being replaced. In most cases the weapons would be lucky to fire one or two shots before breaking apart.

When they finally reached the training yard he had to resist the urge to show his disgust as what he saw. Unsullied. Aeron did not like slavery in any shape or form, and he was glad that his family did not practice such an abomination, or any of Westeros for that matter. Unfortunately the slave trade was a deeply ingrained aspect of Essos' economy and there was nothing he could do about it.

The Unsullied however were even worse. One of the many impacts of the Doom of Valyria was the rise in Ghiscari culture and influence, along with the return of their infamous slave soldiers. Slave soldiers was something that most of the Free Cities used, Pentos included. The Unsullied however couldn't be called slave soldiers, hell they couldn't even be called human after all the atrocities done to them. With no conscious thought or will they would slice open their own throat if their master ordered it without an ounce of hesitation. And unfortunately after they had managed to defend Qohor from the Dothraki the influence of the Ghiscari had not only grown but the demand for the Unsullied had also increased throughout Essos.

A small callous part of him couldn't help but note that their training did indeed make them the ideal soldiers but his disgust far outweighed his respect for their skills. And their skills were another cause for concern. They truly were superior to any infantry force of Westeros, and though it was never stated he knew his grandfather and the small council feared that Slaver's Bay would become a new Ghiscari Empire. And become as much of a threat to house Targaryen as the old Ghis Empire had been to Valyria.

"Impressive aren't they." Dorak loudly proclaimed as the two of them stopped to observe the Unsullied training.

"You could say that." He replied with thinly held disgust. If the Pentoshi noticed, he said nothing. After several moments Aeron decided to break the silence. "So Prince Dorak, what is it you want?" Aeron demanded, gaining a look of shock.

"Want my prince?" Dorak asked sounding shocked, while the two guards who protected the Pentoshi tensed slightly, fearing an attack.

"You have been showing me the defenses of this city and armed forces, and I have come to two conclusions. One, you think that I'm planning to attack this city so your showing me your defenses as a deterrent, a warning against me." He spoke the first conclusion causing Dorak to splutter slightly. "Two, you're expecting an attack and you want my help, but you don't want to appear desperate, so you've been showing off your defenses. So which one is it my prince?" He asked with an almost mocking tone.

"Prince Aeron, I assure you that I would never do such a thing." Dorak spoke with no small amount of desperation, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. Despite outwardly showing anger, Aeron was truthfully very amused with the fact even though he was only four and ten namedays he was causing a man more then four times his age tremble.

"Then I guess you won't mind me and Solthys leaving Pentos and continuing our travels." He said as he turned around to head back to his manse, causing the Pentoshi to call after him.

"Wait." Dorak called out.

"Well then I guess it's the second option." He spoke as he turned back towards the Pentoshi Prince. "So who is attacking Pentos?"

"The Dothraki. Numbers vary between fifteen to twenty thousand. We are more then capable of handling them, but..."

"A dragon will make things much easier." Aeron stated causing Dorak to nod. Aeron had been expecting this, and even though he had no desire to get involved that didn't mean it couldn't work to his benefit. "I did not come to Pentos to fight its battles for it, what can you give me in exchange Dorak?"

"We have gold, lots of it." Dorak offered, causing Aeron to snort slightly.

"I am the future king of Westeros, gold I will always have in abundance." He stated. Gold may have been useful in the short term, especially during his travels, but not in the long term.

"Then what?" Dorak asked with fear creeping into his voice. Fools thought the Prince of Pentos had power but truthfully Dorak was trapped to obeying the whims of the magisters and if he failed to deal with the Dothraki then he would be sacrificed, or worse given to the Dothraki in tribute.

Aeron gave Dorak his offer, which the Pentoshi very eagerly accepted. With that matter dealt with Aeron headed back towards his manse.

He had been surprised by how quick the Pentoshi had been to accept his proposition, perhaps it was desperation, Aeron was more then aware of the fact that being Prince of Pentos was a double-edged sword. Or more likely Dorak didn't think that Aeron was demanding was a high price to pay. After all, in the long run what use was three stones to the city of Pentos.

While walking towards his manse Aeron opened his link to Solthys. While Targaryens couldn't necessarily speak with their dragons they did have their own form of communication. They could send emotions, images and memories to their bonded. He could feel his dragons annoyance at being disturbed, but when he sent her a mental image of the Dothraki he could feel her bloodlust and desire. Dragons, while remarkably intelligent creatures still possessed animal instincts that included bloodlust and a desire for combat and war, it was what made the dragons such terrifying war beasts, they enjoyed the conflict.

Solthys had absolutely no objection to aiding the Pentos, which would make things a lot easier.

 **Line Break**

The war council of Pentos was not particularly impressive, in fact disappointing seemed to be an accurate word for it. There were six people present including him and Prince Dorak; There was the leader of the Unsullied who was known as White Rat, the commander of the city watch of 2,500 men, a fat blob known as Daario, the leader of Pentos' army of 6,000, a greybeard by the name of Boris but at least he appeared the part and had the air of an experienced warrior, even if he was passed his prime. And finally was the leader of a sellsword company, the Golden Horses numbering 1,500 soldiers, known as Qyent. As the name suggested the Golden Horses were a primarily a cavalry company, but when the Dothraki were regarded as the best cavalry force in the world Aeron was not having high hopes about their ability to hold off a Dothraki horde. He'd much rather fifteen hundred archers then horsemen.

Pentos had very quickly developed a history of appeasing the Dothraki as opposed to fighting them, but with a dragon within the city it seemed that the council of magisters had found a small sliver of courage. Time would tell whether or not it lasted, but for now Pentos was ready to fight. Unfortunately there were large disagreements about strategy.

"Why don't we just send out the eunuchs?" Daario demanded angrily. "We paid them to defend this city, so why can't they do that? It worked in Qohor."

"Yes everyone knows the story." Qyent replied with no small amount of exasperation and a frustrated look on his face. "20,000 Dothraki attacked Qohor and 3,000 Unsullied repelled every charge they made. Well you seem to be forgetting that while only 18,000 Dothraki are attacking, and that's only if the dragon boy's reports are accurate," The sellsword captain threw a skeptical look in his direction as he said that, but the reports were the truth. Aeron had been observing the Dothraki on the back of Solthys and his numbers were accurate. "But we only have 1,000 Unsullied and if we sent them out then the Dothraki will cut them down."

"Not to mention the Dothraki, especially this Khal Harko, have become accustomed to fighting the Unsullied. While they are still effective against Dothraki they are by no means invulnerable." Boris stated calmly, no doubt used to dealing with the fat slob that was the commander of Pentos' city watch.

"And what of the boy and his beast?" Daario snapped, not even looking in his direction.

"For starters Solthys is no beast," He stated, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Second of all we have established that the Unsullied are ill equipped to fight the Dothraki on their own. We have 11,000 men and one dragon to fight 18,000 Dothraki. And Solthys is no Balerion the Dread."

"So your saying that you can't contribute." Dorak stated with a small amount of trepidation in his voice.

"I didn't say that. The Dothraki haven't fought a dragon since the Doom of Valyria, they have no experience in fighting one. We have at most two weeks before the Dothraki are at our walls, and they expect us to stay behind our walls, after all only a fool would face the Dothraki in an open field."

"What are you getting at Prince Aeron?"

"If the Dothraki attack this city then perhaps we can defend against them, but that is no guarantee and we all know it." Pentos was above all a merchant city, and while they had the numbers to defend it their siege weapons were dated and inefficient and the closer the Dothraki came the closer the magisters were to paying tribute to the Dothraki. When the Dothraki attacked, they had reasonable chance of rebelling them, but no guarantee. What he was going to suggest was riskier, but far more likely to stop the Dothraki.

"The path the Dothraki are travelling to Pentos has no shortage of places to ambush the Dothraki. Send out maybe a hundred men to harry the Dothraki, attack their supply lines and such. That should distract the Dothraki enough to buy us time to properly trap them." Aeron spoke, pointing at several parts of the man in front of them all as he continued to propose his plan.

Many skeptical looks were passed between them. "It has potential," Boris admitted after a while. "But still risky. If we lose..."

"If we lose the Dothraki will still have taken significant loses and would not be capable of assaulting Pentos, at least not immediately, this Khal Harko will need time to regather his Khalasar. Which is time Pentos can use to rebuild its forces. Regardless of the outcome, victory or defeat Pentos will stay protected."

That seemed to settle the matter for both Prince Dorak and Daario, though Boris and Qyent both seemed hesitant with the idea. White Rat hadn't said a word since the meeting started and Aeron was actually starting to wonder if the Unsullied were mutes as well as eunuchs. He had yet to hear a single one of them actually speak.

"You are a bold one Valyrian." Qyent admitted after a while. "I agree with your strategy." And with that Boris also consented to the plan, although with a good deal of reluctance. "However, you better hope that if this plan fails that I don't survive, otherwise I will hang you with your own guts, dragon or not, Targaryen or not."

Line Break

To be honest Aeron did not actually know much about the Dothraki, most of his knowledge came from his uncle Daemon, who admitted that he himself was no expert on them. But what he did know about them was that they weren't people for strategy, more akin to a blunt hammer that slammed against their enemies then a fine blade piercing an enemy's weakness.

In Westeros it was a common tactic to send out a squad of soldiers to raid the enemy, often for the purpose of buying more time, unfortunately due to being such a common and well known strategy in Westeros its effectiveness was limited. Against the Dothraki however, the tactic was proving to be far more effective. When a group of Pentoshi warriors started raiding the Dothraki's camp, rather then sending a small force to hunt them down and continue on his way to Pentos like any competent Westerosi general would, Khal Harko had instead decided to personally hunt down the attackers, halting the process of his entire Khalasar until the raiders were dealt with. It had bought them far more time then Aeron had expected that it would.

In fact, they had even managed to increase their force to 12,300 men rather then 11,000. But in the end the time they had bought was over, and by dawn the Khalasar would be at their position. The strategy they were implementing was a simple one. The Unsullied along with along with 500 hundred archers would be positioned directly in front of the Dothraki, along with 4 ballistas, 5 scorpions and even a catapult. The path the Dothraki were travelling was surrounded in forests and hills, providing ample ambush territory.

When the Dothraki attacked the Unsullied, the soldiers encamped in the trees and on the hills would attack them at the sides, while the Golden Horses would attack from behind. Or at least that was the plan, Aeron had never fought a battle before but he had been trained by Daemon in the art of warfare for years and he knew that no plan survived contact with the enemy.

He was nervous, almost trembling in fact. Aeron was about to fight his first proper battle and he was nervous, excited about the prospect of being like many of his warrior ancestors and like his uncle, but also very nervous.

He felt a strong wind on the back of his head but didn't turn around, he knew it was only Solthys. "How are you girl?" He asked her as he walked towards his dragon, scratching her head, causing her to purr, or at least give the dragon equivalent of purring, to anyone else it would sound like that Solthys was growling.

He was honestly more worried about Solthys then he was about himself, or any of the men he would be fighting with. A dragons scales maybe stronger then any armour but all it took was a single shot to bring down Meraxes. Granted a lucky one in a million shot, despite how much Dorne claimed otherwise, but still a single shot in the eye. The eyes were a dragon's weakness. And 18,000 Dothraki, who were well known for their skills in archery would be aiming directly for Solthys.

"Do you know what you have to do girl?" He asked her, causing her to snort a puff of smoke in his face. "I'll take that as a yes then." Aeron spoke with a laugh.

 **Line Break**

Aeron sat on Solthys back, the chains keeping him firmly attached to his dragon. It had come. He could hear the Dothraki in the distance, their war cry bellowing across the land and the sounds of the hooves of thousands of charging horses.

High in the sky on Solthys' back the charging horde of Dothraki looked more akin to a line of ants as opposed to the ferocious warriors that they really were. It gave an odd feeling of power, being so high in the sky atop one of the most powerful creatures in the known world, with the enemy completely unaware of the fate that awaited them. He wondered if this was how Aegon the Conqueror felt before he burnt Harrenhall and before the Field of Fire.

It was hard from such a height to tell the exact position of the Dothraki along with the Unsullied army but when he assessed that the Dothraki were within 100 yards of the Unsullied he urged Solthys to fly down as fast as she could towards the enemy.

Like a bolt of lightning Solthys flew with a speed that even among dragons was impressive. Solthys let out a bellowing roar as they were within sight of the Dothraki and Aeron observed as thousands of Dothraki stopped in their tracks as the sight of an emerald scaled dragon entered the battle.

"Dracarys." He ordered and immediately Solthys let loose a flame of fire at the Dothraki approaching the Unsullied, sowing discord among the Dothraki ranks.

Aeron watched in near shock at the sight of dozens of men and horses were burned alive. Knowing what a dragon was capable of and seeing it was quite another. Despite the shocked state of her rider, Solthys was happy to continue unleashing strands of fire upon the dothraki. The female dragon completely in her element as she burned dozens of men and horses alive.

The effect Solthys had on the battle was a massive one. While she wasn't old or large enough to kill thousands of Dothraki on her own, the sight of a dragon burning hundreds of their comrades alive had a massive demoralising effect on them. Combined with the trap that the Dothraki had fallen into, it was not surprising that Aeron could see hundreds of them already deserting the battle.

As the battle raged on, more and more Dothraki started abandoning the battle, especially when their loses started mounting. Finally a horn was sounded, and the Dothraki started retreating in full force. The battle had been won.

With that he directed Solthys to land. Once she had landed Aeron undid the chains that kept him secured to his dragon and got off her back while she feasted upon the dead around her.

 **Line Break**

Pentos was celebrating, in fact the entire city seemed to be one big party and even the slaves were pleased and happy, although that could very well be due to the fact that since their masters distracted they weren't being bothered as much.

Aeron had been invited to the celebration held by Prince Dorak but despite the party all around him Aeron truly did not feel like celebrating. Aeron picked at the food in front of him, barely paying attention to the mindless chatter of the various Pentosi magisters.

Finally Aeron had enough listening to the various magisters and their false boasts of how they contributed to the victory when in reality they all sat back and did nothing. Giving an excuse Aeron stood up from his table and left.

Truthfully he was feeling sick. The carnage of the battle had been nothing like he had expected. He had fought and killed, and on his command Solthys had burned hundreds of men to death. Dothraki or not, barbarians or not they had still been people.

"Now that is a look I have not seen in a long time." Turning around he saw the sellsword captain Qyent standing behind him, an amused look on his face.

"What look?" He asked warily. The sellsword captain had not been pleasant to him in any of their previous encounters, although Aeron was observant enough to notice the look of respect the captain of the Golden Horses now held for him.

"The look of someone who's seen their first battle. I was surprised you didn't throw up." Qyent remarked.

"It was a near thing." He answered back. "My uncle never told me about that part of war."

"Fighting is easy. It's the aftermath that's hard, looking at all around, some you killed, some who were killed fighting for you. It's not an easy thing to manage."

"How do you?" He couldn't but ask. He had killed before, the day where he and Helaena were attacked by bandits in the Kings wood came to mind, but this was different. He had killed those bandits out of self-defence, but this time he had chosen to fight, to kill.

"I look at the big picture. You and your dragon-"

"Solthys." He interrupted by instinct.

"Solthys. The two of you won the battle, and prevented Pentos from being sacked and thousands of men, woman and children from being captured as slaves for the Dothraki. The question is, do you regret getting involved?"

"No." He replied after a few moments, feeling a little better about his actions.

"As long as you believe in what your fighting for then it should definitely get easier."

 **Line Break**

Khal Harko screamed in rage. He had known that apparently one of those arrogant Valyrian spawn, along with their lizard pets, had been present in Pentos but he hadn't expected it to be present in the battle, or as devastating as it was.

He had been forced to retreat. HIM, Khal Harko of the Great Grass Sea had been defeated by a child. Thousands of his warriors had deserted him and he'd already been forced to kill two fools who had attempted to replace him as Khal. But he was not dead, he had survived. He would regroup his Khalassar and make it larger then ever. And he would bring the fight to Valyrian brat.

"Aeron Targaryen you will by my hand. This I vow by the great stallion." He swore.

 **Line Break**

Aeron eyed the three dragon eggs laying in the open chest before him. After decades the three dragon eggs stolen by Elissa Farman in 54 AC, they were finally returned to house Targaryen. Aeron brushed all three eggs with the tips of his fingers, the lack of heat confirming his suspicions. They had all turned to stone.

It was annoying but not unnexped. After decades away from Dragonstone where its volcanic heat kept the eggs warm and healthy it was no surprise that they had frozen. _'But very annoying, it will take years for the hatchlings to awaken and even longer for them to hatch,'_ He thought as anger raged through him.

Opposite him Prince Dorak was fidgeting slightly. While there was no denying that the Targaryen Prince was pleased that the eggs were back in his family's possession, he was also clearly angry that Pentos had kept the eggs in their possession. And there was no way to predict how the rest of the Targaryens would react to the news. King Viserys may be a peaceful man but he was still a Targaryen, and he genuinely feared how his brother Daemon would react to the news. He only hoped they remembered the strong friendship between Pentos and the Iron Throne, although that fact may enrage them further.

"Pentos was never able to hatch them." Aeron stated as he picked up one of the eggs.

"No, but not for lack of trying." Dorak stated, not even bothering trying to deny it. Countless Pentoshi magisters and princes had been trying to hatch them since 54 AC, attempts ranging from blood sacrifices to prayers but with no success. A part of him was tempted to demand Aeron to tell him how to hatch them but he managed to refrain himself. "I trust that there will no be no retaliation from your family."

"My family has long since suspected that these three eggs were either in Braavos or Pentos, and while I am disappointed that of the two cities it was the one we considered an ally to hide our stolen treasures we are not going to declare war on Pentos. You have no need to worry, after all you weren't the one to steal it, merely the one to return it." Dorak was visibly relieved at that, though Aeron knew his family was going to be furious with Pentos. To steal their dragon eggs was a crime that was

House Targaryen would forgive Pentos for it's past crimes against their ancestors, if only for the lack of allies among the Free Cities, but if Pentos ever attempted such an action again then Aeron would personally turn the city of Pentos into a second Harrenhal.

 **Line Break**

Daemon sat at the painted table within the council chambers of Dragonstone, staring at the piece of parchment in his hand from his spies. It was certainly surprising. Aeron had fought a battle against a Dothraki Khal and had won. Granted from what he understood Aeron had spent the battle on Solthys but it didn't change the fact that it was his strategy that had won the battle.

Daemon was proud of the actions of his former squire, and the boy that he viewed as his son. After all Aeron had just won his first victory, hopefully the first of many in his life. But at the same time he was also worried. War changed people and Aeron, though remarkably mature for his age was still only a boy of four and ten name days.

"How can you be so calm?" Rhaenyra asked him, all but pulling her hair in frustration and worry as she stared at her husband who merely read over the letter in his hand, looking almost lost in thought.

"Because after fighting a war, learning that Aeron has won a battle is more a source of pride then one of worry." He replied to his frantic wife. "And I am worried about him, but I also trust Aeron."

"I do trust Aeron, I would never have let him leave if I thought that he couldn't take care of himself." Rhaenyra snapped in reply. "I just worry, Essos is dangerous."

"Aeron is by no means foolhardy. I'm surprised he got involved in the first place." It made him wonder what the Pentoshi had offered him. Must have valuable. "The fact he is now experienced in battle will also send a message to any fools he may encounter while in Essos that he is not to be trifled with."

"Is that all you care about?" Rhaenyra snapped at her husband, her temper reaching its limit. "The fact that Aeron has proved himself in combat. Now every Free City is going to try to manipulate him into fighting their wars for him, and the other cities may seek him harm to prevent that from happening."

"Your wrong." Daemon corrected. "I do care about him, he _is_ my son after all." He stated, a look of shock coming over Rhaenyra's face. "Come on, you must have suspected that he was mine and not that imbecile Laenor's."

 **End of chapter 2. Please review.**

 **For pairings I think I will go with Baela Targaryen, the only other ones I'm considering are Aliandra Martell and one of the daughters of Borros Baratheon.**


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